Avon Black Mineral Mask ~Review~

My Skin Type-  Combination to Oily, prone to spots around nose and on forehead... 

I've been using this mask for a while now and I can honestly say it's one of the best masks I've ever used, for my skin anyway...

It's a thick black mask, which actually scared me a bit, and when applied to the face, dries a blue-ish grey colour. Honestly, it is a little messy but isn't hard to clean up.

oh, and it smells looooovely :)

Avon claims that it "Leaves skin deeply cleansed, refreshed and matte, unblocks pores." and I 100% agree. 

I use a giant button sized amount all over my face, once or twice a week for 15 minutes and then massage it off with warm water. Immediately after using it, my face feels so smooth and clean and I also notice that any redness I have has been calmed.  

Also, due to the witch hazel, I find that my spots heal faster when I do use this mask. 

One thing that did strike me though is that it is quite a drying mask. For me, this isn't much of a problem as my skin is more on the oily side and therefore, it just mattifies my skin. So, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone with dry skin as I think it would dry is out even more. However, I would recommend following it up with a moisturiser just to ensure that you don't leave your skin dehydrated :)

All in all, I think this mask is great if you have oily skin and prone to the odd spot or two.
It's cheap, cheerful and very effective.... I will definitely be repurchasing this mask. and that's saying something!

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Hair Care Routine

Lets start of by apologising for my lack of posts this weekend.
I spent the majority of Saturday and Sunday revising and preparing to go back to school on Monday. Boo :(

That also leads me nicely on to my next point. There may be fewer, less frequent posts throughout the next one or two months and I'm revising for my GCSE's. They start next month and I suddenly feel like I'm growing up too fast. I don't feel old enough to be doing such important things.


*Disclaimer* I'm not saying you should go out and buy these products. They are just things I have found that work for my hair (Very curly and slightly dry) through trail and improvement.

Anyway, lets begin with the hair care routine.

I wash my hair every 3-4 days. That may seem like a long time to you, but my hair is quite dry and doesn't produce oil that quickly. Of course, I shower in between days. Shower caps are extremely handy.

Step 1- The Shower

So, I'm in the shower. First thing I reach for is my "Alberto Balsam Tea Tree Tingle Herbal Shampoo". I use a small amount, plop it on my head (For lack of a better description) and lather it up. I really like this shampoo because I feel it cleans my hair nicely. It doesn't leave it feeling dry and as if there's still product in my hair.
Next, I use the "Alberto Balsam Tea Tree Tingle Herbal Conditioner". Now, I'm normally not too bothered about using the same brand on my hair, but I find these two products do work really well together. I only apply conditioner to the mid-lengths and ends of my hair as if I apply it towards my roots, my hair goes rather greasy. It really conditions my hair nicely and leaves it feeling lovely and soft. While this is sitting in my hair, I run through with a wide toothed comb. This one is a cheep one from Avon, but it does the job. The conditioner really makes my hair slippery and smooth, meaning it's really easy to run the comb through. 
Also, the shampoo and conditioner are super cheap. I found them in B&M's, a pack of two for £1. Bargain!
As I've just dyed my hair, I have to apply this "Step 3 Colour Conditioner" from Clairol. I usually leave this treatment for the weekends as because you have to apply it all over your hair, and its very nourishing, it makes my hair a little greasy, maybe it just makes my hair too shiny and slick for my liking. This one is specifically for dyed brown hair, but you can buy it separately too.   
Once I've stepped out of the shower, I wrap my hair up in a towel and leave it for about 10-15 minutes.

Step 2- Treatment

 After 10-15 minutes has passed, I take my hair out of the towel. By this point, it hasn't dried, but excess water has been absorbed. I think that this just makes my hair easier to work with.
I allow my hair to dry naturally for a further 10 minutes or so, until it is around 20% dry. By the way, my hair takes roughly 3-4 hours to dry on it's own, a long time I know.
I'm not really into using hair dryers, I tend to get the same shape, style and effect as I do if I let my hair dry naturally. It does speed up the process, but as I wash my hair at night, I'm not in a rush. 
If I'm planning on using heat, such as straighteners/curlers, on my hair, I reach for my "Avon 360 Nourishing Argan Oil". I prefer using this when I'm going to use heat because I feel it protects my hair and gives me better care. I use one pump, rub it between my hands and run it through the ends of my hair. It adds lovely shine and protects my hair too.
If I'm going to wear my hair naturally, I use the "Pantene Pro V NatureFusion Leave In Conditioner". This is lighter than the argan oil so doesn't pull down at my natural curl. It also leaves the hair feeling soft and shiny.
I apply this the same way, using 1 or 2 pumps.
After applying either product, I run through my hair with the comb, just to eliminate any more knots.

Step 3- Style

When my hairs roughly 90% dry and just a little damp, mainly at the roots, I spray in the "Umberto Giannini Big Blow Dry Spray". I know this is for blow drying your hair, but I think it's really effective on its own. Basically, I spray this into my damp roots and it acts as a sort of hair spray root lifter. It really does give me a lot of volume. YAY!

I either straighten my hair or curl it, sometimes neither.

To straighten, I use my GHD straighteners. These have a ceramic plate which adds shine to your hair as your straighten. I split my hair into sections and go over each piece and viola, straight hair.

To curl my hair, I use the Babyliss conical wand. I take small pieces of my hair and curl them individual to give a really natural soft look. This is also ceramic plated, so I get more shine.

Step 4- Finishing touches

To set my curls or to keep my hair straight, I spray the "Umberto Giannini Volume Hairspray For Big Hair". It seriously holds curls! If I use this, my curls are guaranteed to last at least 3 days! 

I also apply the "Avon Shine Serum" to the mid lengths and ends of my hair to boost shine. Can't get enough of that shine!

On days that I want a bit more texture, I spray in some "Batiste Dry Shampoo" in my favourite tropical scent. This adds to volume and texture nicely, at the same time, it absorbs any oils to prolong your hair washing. Bonus! I also use "Shockwaves Texture Gum" to add texture and hold to my hair. I love this product, especially when my hairs straight as it adds a little extra oomph.

Finally, a step that I do more often than not, is back combing my roots slightly. I use the "Umberto Giannini Back comb Brush" and just tease the roots slightly. Make sure you don't pull too hard or it'll ruin your hair. I think back combing and then smoothing hair over really finishes off any look. 

So there you have it. My full hair care routine, step by step using all the products I love.

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Avon Smooth Minerals *Review*

My first review a-woo-hoo!

I've had this mineral foundation in my collection for a while. I actually bought it accidentally, thinking it was a loose setting powder.

So my first experience with this product wasn't very good, as I thought it was a loose setting powder, I layered it over my liquid foundation and the results, I was ORANGE. This may be down to the fact that the powder is very orange, even for the lightest shade. Because of this, I put the powder back down and left it, forgot about it even.

A rather heavy swatch. As you can see, It's extremely orange compared to my pale skin.

Long story short, I stayed well away from the powder.

That is until the I had a change of heart. Every product deserves a second chance.

I picked up the powder and my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and tested the product out again. I was extremely careful when it came to loading the brush up with product as I didn't want the oompa loompa look again. 

The more I began to buff the foundation into my skin, the more I fell in love. The powder becomes part of your skin and gives you an amazing natural finish. The powder has quite noticeable glitter running through, however, once on the skin, it blends in to give you a gorgeous glow. 

As I said, you do have to be quite careful when buffing it into your skin as wherever you place the product first, it can leave an orange circle. But don't let that put you off, you just need a soft hand.

You don't get a lot of coverage from the powder, but it really evens out your skin tone. Also, if you use very little product at a time, you can layer it without the orange colour coming through.

As you can see, it's barely noticeable when blended in.

I do find that the foundation is long wearing and it doesn't make my skin oily or greasy by the end of the day. 

So, if you want a natural, long wearing foundation; head over to the Avon website and order this bad boy! Just beware of the orangeness (I don't think that's a real word but oh well) 

As I said, I think I'm in love. I'm sure I'll get a lot of wear out of this foundation in the summer, exciting ahhhh! 

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